Food waste comminuting unit



June 16, 1953 JIH. POWERS 5 23 FOOD WASTE cowmunuc mu" Filed July 26, 1951 His Attorney.

Patented June 16, 1953 .FOOD WASTE COMMINUTIN G 'UNIT James H. Powers, Westport, Conn, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application July 26, 1951, Serial No. 238,707

My invention relates tounits for comminuting food waste, sometimes generally referred to as garbage grinders. Particularly, my invention relates to improvements in the formation of the outer housing or casing and the manner of supporting and enclosing interior parts of a waste food disposal unit. In this respect, my invention is an improvement upon housing and supporting structures of the types disclosed in my former Patents 2,185,037, 2,220,729, 2,244,402, 2,322,058, and 2,482,124, all of which are assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

One object of my invention is to promote ease in manufacture and installation of food waste comminuting and disposing units. Another object is to provide a basic construction of the essential parts such that the appearance of the units may be improved. A further object is to conserve space, and to add a greater degree of flexibility in installation of these units by'the space saved and through other means.

When these units are installed, it is not always known at what radial angle the sewage drain connections will be located with respect to the vertical axis of the unit. My invention provides for a substantially unlimited angular adjustment of the sewage-drain connection with respect to the unit, eventhough the angle of the top part of the unit is fixed relative to a sink or other supporting structure. parts of the unit are made readily detachable for ease in installation, adjustment, and replacement, and the general-shape and function of parts'of the unit are modified as will be described herein.

Other objects'andthe'detailsof that which I believe to be novel and my invention will be clear from the following. description and claims taken with the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an example of waste food comminuting and disposing unit embodying the'present invention and incorporating my improvements. In the drawing, the single figure is a vertical cross sectional view through'an exemplary unit according to my invention.

For the reception of food wastes, I have provided'a main housing or body I substantially in the form of a vertical cylindrical tube. As shown, this may be taperedslightly from bottom to top, but its form remains essentially that of a cylinder with circular openings at its top and bottom ends. The open inside of the main housing or body provides a shredding chamber or compartment 2, at the bottom of which the comminuting or shredding of the food waste takes place as will be later described.

To accomplish this,

3 Claims. (Cl. 241-257) It is customary for the main body of the device to be suitably secured. to the drain opening in a sink 3 or other structure towhich water is supplied. The main body is suitably secured to the sink opening as by a sink flange 4, cooperating with a clamping ring 5, support ring 6, and retaining ring segments 1. A series of clamping bolts 8 threaded through the support ring 6 and bearing against the underside of the clamping ring 5, exert pressure in the proper direction to clamp the sink flange to the sink opening, and the main body is suitably supported as bynuts 9 on these clamping bo1ts,located underneath flanges or lugs l0 outside of the top of the main body. Suitable resilient gaskets ll (around the sink flange and inside of the top opening of the main body) and I2 (around the clamping bolts and under the nuts 9) tightly seal the parts together and support them in a vibration damping manner.

The sink flange removably holds a combined sink stopper and unit control head l3, having a handle portion M, a stopper face IS with drain openings therein, and a shutter portion l6 connected to the handle. and carrying a controlling cam surface IT. 'This combined control and stopper member is similar to those described and claimed in my Patent 2,185,037 and therefore need not be further described here.

At the bottom of the main body, the coin minuting or shredding mechanism is located. I have shownthis as consisting of a shredding ring l8 removably seated in an annular recess 19 'at the bottom edgeof the main body and carrying shredding elementsin the form of'projections 20 and drainage openings 21 at its bottom edge. For the purposes of the present invention, the shredding elements need not be carried by a ring and the drainage openings could be formed in the bottom edge of the main body itself, but I prefer the construction illustrated because it lends itself to ease in manufacture and assembly of the parts as will be clear from later portions of this specification.

The shredding element is held in place by the other principal part of the unit which I have called the bottom support or casting 22. This support member has a circular opening 23 in its top face of. approximately the same diameter as the inside of the main body member. An annular outwardly extending flange 24 is provided in the top edge'of the bottom support member and this seats in an annular recess or groove 25 in the bottom edge of the main housing. Because the bottom of the main body and the top of the supporting member are both circular, these two members have unlimited possibilities of rotary angular adjustment with respect to each other about the axis of the unit. This is important because it is never known at what angle the sewage drain connection pipes will be located with respect to the unit when the device is to be installed. The bottom casting has awaste discharge chamber 26 in its upper face, leading to a radially directed discharge confining passage 21 which extends to the outside of the supporting member, and it is this discharge passage which must be properly connected to the sewer line.

In order to detachably secure the top edge of the supporting member to the bottom of the main body in any selected angular degree of relative rotation therewith, I have provided a series of bolts 28 (only two shown) threaded into the bottom edge of the main body at spaced points around its periphery. These bolts carry under their heads clamping washers 29 which extend inwardly beyond. the edge of the annular groove and removably engage under the flange 24 of i the supporting member. When these bolts are loosened, the mainbody and the supporting member maybe rotated with respect to each other in order to select the proper angle at which the drain outlet 21 will project from. the unit. When once the proper angle has been selected and set, the main body and the su porting memher are secured together by tightening the bolts 28, whereupon the washers 29 will force the flange 24 into secure seating engagement with the recess' 25. Resilient s aling and supporting gaskets 30 and 3| at the bottomand top respectively of the shredding ring assist in the frictional holding of the parts in their proper position and seal the joint between the main body and the supporting member. These gaskets also reduce vibration which might be transmitted from the comminuting mechanism to the sink or other sup porting structure.

The drain outlet 2'! in the bottom flanged supporting member has a. suitable cover and connection to the sewage drain, and I have shown this connection in the form of a tailpiece clamping plate 32 surrounding the drain opening 2'! and removably secured directly to the supporting member 22 as by means of bolts or machine screws (not shown). This tailpiece clamping plate may be provided with a tepped opening 33 in which a drain gasket 34 is positioned to hold in place the flanged end 35 of a drain pipe or elbow 36.

For cooperating with the shredding ring or elements in the comminution of waste material fed into the chamber 2, I have provided a flywheel 31 carrying impelling cutters 38 which, upon rotation of the flywheel, cooperate with the shredding elements 20 and with the openings 2! to shred food waste and discharge it into the drain chamber 26 below the flywheel. Pumping fins or blades 39 on the bottom of the flywheel may assist in directing comminuted waste and water to the drain outlet. It will be noted that the flywheel extend substantially across the entire opening at the bottom of the main body member so that, as the flywheel is rotated; all waste and water will have to pass the shredding mechanism before it is discharged to the drain.

The flywheel is rotatably supported by the supporting member 22 by means of a vertical shaft 40 suitably journaled as in bearings 4| and 42 in the supporting member. These bearings are suitably lubricated as by the lubricating reservoir 43 located between the bearings. The details of this bearing and supporting structure form no part of the present invention but are disclosed and claimed in detail in my copending application Serial No. 238,706, filed July 26, 1951, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

At-the bottom of the vertical shaft 49 is secured the rotor Aid ofthe motor'fo'r the unit. The stator 45 of the motor surrounds the rotor and is secured to the bottom of the supporting mem her in any suitable removable fashion. I have indicated the bottom ends of supporting studs 46, upper portions ofwhich engage suitable lugs or supporting structures on the stator and which are threaded directly into portions on the bottom or the supporting member 22. Obviously other means may be provided for firmly but removably securing the motor stator to the supporting body and therefore I have made no attempt to show details of this construction. 1

Completing the principal outer visible part of the housing and covering the motor as well as the bottom supporting member, I have provided a cup-shaped bottom-casing or housing member 4?. This casing has an upper outer diameter large enough to seat outside of the main body portion as in an annular recess or notch 48 pro vided around the main body for that purpose. However, I have also provided a notch rain the upper edge of this cup-shaped casing, the notch fitting around the outside of the drain outlet 2'! so that the casing can be slipped upwardly over the supporting member from the bottom. Note that this casing extends to cover the joint and the clamping bolt which secure the joint between the main body and the supporting member.

At the notched portion of this casing, there-is provided an extension 50 on the tailpiece clamping plate which covers the notch above the drain outlet and also fits into one segment of the annular recess d8 surrounding the main body. The cup-shaped bottom casing 47 is suitably detachably secured to the supporting member and I have shown a preferred construction in which this is accomplished by acorn nuts 5| threaded onto the ends of. the motor stator supporting studs 48. Of course, these studs are threaded and extended through holes in the bottom of the casing to receive the nuts 5i.

A suitable electric power source is required for operating the motor, and this is controlled through the combined'control'and stopper headl3 previously described. All of the electrical wiring and electrical parts between th control head and the motor are preferably concealed according to the present invention, these being housed in a connection box 52 formed as a vertically elongated compartment on the outside of the main body portion 1. This compartment contains a control switch 53 which is operated by a lever 54 engaged by the cam surface 1'! on the control head when it is turned to proper position, the lever 54 extending through a seal 55 in the wall of the chamber 2 on which the wiring compartmentis built. Also contained in this compartment may be a motor starting and overload relay 55, a motor startingcapacitor 51, and any other desired electrical equipment for the unit, the control switch, relay and capacitor and other structures being connected by suitable wiring 58, also located in'the compartment. Ob viously the incoming power cable is connected to the devices in the wiring compartment through a knockout or cable entrance hole (not shown) located in a wall of the compartment.

being discontinued at the bottom end of the comof the bottom casing and the main housing, and

conceals a small aperture (not shown) through the bottom outer edge of the main housing through which the Wires 58'pass from the wiring compartment down to the motor. A machine screw .62, or other structure for holding. in place a clip for the motor leads passing through the Wiring aperture in the bottom of the main housing, may also be concealed by this extension of the cover for the Wiring compartment.

The cover 59 for the wiring compartment is preferably removably held in place as by machine screws passing through internal ears 63 on the edges of the cover, and passing through holes in the sides of the wiring compartment itself as at the hole indicated at 64. The flanges on the cover prevent it from shifting and, when the screws are in place, they prevent Withdrawal of the cover from the wiring compartment.

From the above, it will be seen that except for the heads of bolts holding the tailpiece clamping plate to the bottom support, the nuts 5iv which are hidden under the bottom casing to the support, and the heads of the machine screws holding the wiring compartment cover in-place, the whole unit below the sink flange has no visible means for connecting the various parts together. These exposed fastening elements are all that are needed to make a quick inspection of various important parts of the machine. Furthermore, by removing the tailpiece clamping plate, the unit may be quickly disconnected from the sewage drain line. By removing the wiring compartment cover, access may be had to the electrical wiring and its connection to the power supply. Removal of the bottom casing affords access to the motor and to the connection bolts which hold the bottom support to the main casing. These features make the installation and servicing of the unit extremely easy. No separate frame or housing for the motor is required, these parts being provided by the support 22 and the bottom casing 41.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of my invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and I contemplate that various and other modifications and applications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, my intention that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A waste comminuting device including a ver tical, substantially cylindrical tubular main body open at its top and bottom and providing a waste receiving chamber with a substantially circular bottom, an annular recess in the bottom edge of said main body, a shredding ring seated in said annular recess with waste shredding structures on its walls near the bottom thereof, a supporting memberhaving a radially outwardly projecting annular :fiange on its top edge'mating with the bottom of said main tubular body, and said mem ber being rotatable with respect to said body about its vertical axis, means readily detachablysecuring the top flanged edge of said supporting memher to the bottom of said main body in any selected degree of relative rotation therewith, motor driven comminuting mechanism carried on the top of said supporting member for cooperation with said shredding structure in said main body, said sup porting member having a discharge chamber leading from said mechanism and a radially directed discharge confining passage leading from said discharge chamber to the outside of said supporting member, a motor carried by'said supporting member for driving said mechanism, an electrical control wiring compartment extending from the top of said main body tothe motor supporting member with wires therein extending --to the motor on said supporting member, a cover for said wiring compartment extending outside said main body from near the top to a point below the bottom of said main body, and a bottom cup-shaped casing member removably secured to said supporting member, rotatable therewith with respect to said main body, said bottom casing enclosing said motor and said supporting member and extending to cover the joint between said main body and said supporting member, said bottom casing having a notch in its upper edge fitting around said radially directed discharge confining passage, and said casin extending up under the bottom end of said controlwiring compartment cover.

2. A waste comminuting device of the type including a vertical tubular main body open at its top and bottom and providing a waste receiving and comminuting chamber, said body being of circular configuration at the bottom edge thereof, a supporting member having a circular top edge mating with the bottom of said main body and said member being rotatable with respect to said body about its vertical axis, means securing the top edge of said supporting member to the bottom edge of said main body in any selected degree of relative rotation therewith, waste comminuting mechanism mounted on the top of said supporting member, a motor stator and rotor supported by said supporting member with said rotor connected tOi drive said comminuting mechanism,,said supporting member having a discharge chamber in the upper face thereof below said comminuting mechanism and a radially directed discharge confining passage leading from said discharge chamber to the outside of said' supporting membenmotor control and electrical wiring meansfor said motor secured externally on said main body, and enclosing means for said motor, motor control and wiring means, said enclosing means comprising a bottom cup-shaped casing enclosing the: motor and supporting memleer and extending into merging relation with the exterior wall of said main body adjacent its bottom edge, said bottom casing having a notch in its upper edge fitting around saidradially di rected discharge confining passage, means securing said casing to said supporting member, and cover secured to said main body having edge portions contoured to seat against the exterior surface of said main body and enclosing in conjunction with said main body said motor control and electrical wiring means.

3. In waste comminuting apparatus of the type having a vertical tubular main body defining a 7 waste receiving and comminuting chamber, the bottom portion of said main body being of cylindric-al configuration, a supporting emember having a circular top edge mating with the bottom of said main body, means securing the top edge of said Supporting member to the bottom edge of said main body in any selected degree of relative rotation therewith, a vertical shaft rotatably mounted in said supporting member, a waste comminuting mechanism secured to the upper end of said shaft, a motor rotor secured to the lower end of said shaft, a motor stator secured to said supporting member in operative relation with said rotor, said supporting member having internal walls defining a discharge chamber below said comminuting mechanism in liquid flow relation thereto and a radially directed discharge confining passage leading from said discharge chamber to the outside of said supporting member, a discharge tail piece secured to said supporting member-in liquid flow relation to said discharge passage, a protective casing of cupshape enclosing said motor stator and extending over said supporting member into merging relation with the bottom portion of said main body,

JAMES H. POWERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,244,402 Powers June 3, 1941 2,421,014 Coss et a1. May 27, 1947 2,482,125 Powers Sept. 20, 1949. 

